Director Henning Winklemann has signed with bicoastal MacGuffin Films for spot representation….Director Phil Harder has joined bicoastal Bob Industries….CreoCollective, Santa Monica, has opened a New York office headed by executive producer Jennifer Sofio….The Blue Rock Editing Company, New York, has added cutter David Lee to its roster….Composer John Altman has joined the Los Angeles office of bicoastal/international Amber Music….Editor Terence Ziegler has jumped into The Well, New York….Mona Davis Music has formally launched a commercial division in Los Angeles….Editor Julie Drazen has joined Ohio Edit, New York….Visual effects editor and artist Rob Doolittle has joined Company 3, Santa Monica, extending its capabilities in feature film postproduction….R!OT Manhattan has hired producer Colleen Garvey and promoted Luis Ribeiro from senior producer to executive producer, and Susan Giattino from production manager to business manager….The New York office of The Wolf Group, which is headquartered in Toronto, has closed its doors….
Breakout Films and Major Takeaways From This Year’s Sundance Fest
Film wasn't the only thing on people's minds at this year's Sundance Film Festival, which comes to a close Sunday in Park City, Utah ( and online ).
The effects of the wildfires in Southern California loomed large, as did the bittersweet knowledge that this year will be the second to last Sundance based in Park City. Some films offered an escape from reality; others were a pointed reminder of the domestic and international political landscape, from transgender rights to the war in Ukraine.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the 41st edition of the festival.
The effects of the Southern California fires were deeply felt
The wildfires were still burning in parts of Los Angeles when Sundance began last week and reminders of its devastation were everywhere, even on screen. Max Walker-Silverman's "Rebuilding," starring Josh O'Connor as a cowboy who loses his ranch in a wildfire and forms a community with fellow survivors in a FEMA camp, hit close to home for many.
Filmmakers Meena Menon and Paul Gleason lost their home in Altadena where they filmed some of their zombie apocalypse movie "Didn't Die." Sundance artist labs head Michelle Satter lost her Palisades home as well. Satter had an audience of Sundance Institute donors in tears early in the festival while accepting an honor at a fundraising gala.
"It's a deeply devastating time for us and so many others, a moment that calls for all of us coming together to support our bigger community," Satter said. "As a friend recently noted, and I have to listen to this, 'Take a deep breath ... We lost our village, but at the end of the day we are the village.'"
The festival's move to another city dominated conversations
It was a topic... Read More